Lagging Brits Getting Paid For Green Behavior

BRISTOL, UK – To catch up to the rest of Western Europe's environmentalism, and to encourage “green behavior,” a pay-as-you-throw rubbish scheme is to be launched in the UK with rewards for residents who reduce their waste.

The Bristol City Council has announced plans for binmen to weigh each household’s weekly rubbish with the council reimbursing the least wasteful homes with money or vouchers to spend in local shops, depending on how much they manage to reduce their waste.

Under the local authority’s plans, residents of 2,362 homes in the city will be invited to take part in the six-month pilot, with town hall officials stating the scheme is designed to encourage green behavior. They have also offered assurances that those who continue to fill their dustbins excessively will not be fined.

Program volunteers will be given a microchipped wheelie bin so the amount they throw out can be weighed and recorded, with the amount of waste per resident calculated.

“Britain lags behind the rest of Europe in terms of the amount we recycle, and this needs to be addressed,” said Steve Wright, chairman of the British Cleaning Council. “Schemes like this one will help residents to become more conscious of what they are throwing away, helping them reduce waste. We support rewards within voluntary schemes to assist people as they develop greener habits, as part of a wider strategy of education and encouragement to increase the amount we recycle.”